NASA astronaut from Williamsburg takes flight on SpaceX Crew-11 mission

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — If you search for into the sky at simply the appropriate time, you would possibly catch a Hampton Roads native orbiting by. Rest assured, Zena Cardman is waving to her hometown of Williamsburg.

Aboard the International Space Station for the primary time, the NASA astronaut has a view only a few of us get to see. The SpaceX Crew-11 blasted off from Florida final Friday, with Cardman, 37, serving because the mission’s commander.

On Tuesday, whereas floating in house, Cardman took a couple of minutes to talk to News 3. She instructed us how after a number of days after the launch, she’s nonetheless in awe.

“I’m not sure that view is ever going to get old… When I first looked out the Cupola window, it was kind of twilight, so we had these really long shadows. We had these 3D textures of the clouds and you’re going over the ground so quickly. It takes us only 90 minutes to get all the way around the Earth,” she said.

The Bruton High School and University of North Carolina alum has been training for this since being selected for the astronaut program in 2017. The crew will stay abord the station for at least six months.

Cardman says she’ll have a hand in different types of research, including the impact space and low-gravity has on the human body. Some of those experiences are similar to what immunocompromised and aging populations go through.

News 3’s Anthony Sabella asked how her upbringing in Hampton Roads steered her to this moment. She responded, “For me, one of the most influential parts about being in Williamsburg were some of the teachers I had. I went to Bruton High School and public schools growing up in Williamsburg and I had so many wonderful mentors there. One of the most important ones for me was my high school biology teacher, Mr. Davis. He really sent me on the path of not only loving science and life science, but also pursuing my own research.”

Cardman has been on the shortlist to probably be the primary lady to stroll on the moon. Anthony requested her about that, and if she’s nonetheless concerned in NASA’s Artemis Mission. Their dialog on these matters will air Wednesday on News 3 This Morning.